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Question 1 How to overcome the problem of breastfeeding during the fasting month? Answer 1 Mothers who are breastfeeding can also fast during Ramadan. They can breastfeed their babies as usual. Mothers are advised to take balanced diet during “sahur”. It is advised for mothers to drink a glass of milk, take a balanced diet and drink a lot of water during “sahur” and breaking of fast. Question 2 I am in my first month of pregnancy and still breastfeed my first baby who is 11 months old. My question is:
Answer 2 Firstly I must congratulate you for successful breastfeeding until now. You are advised to not stop breastfeeding your first born while you are pregnant with your second child. Pregnancy is not disturbed even though you are breastfeeding. You can continue breastfeeding both of your babies after delivering your second child. In the mean time you are advised to take nutritious diet so as to support milk production and foetal development. You are also advised to take a balanced diet which includes poultry, meat, fish, cereals, rice, vegetables and fruits .You should also drink more milk. Question 3 I have a 8 month old child who I breastfeed at night and morning before I go to work. My problem is when my child is in the nursery he consumes “formula” milk. Normally, when given the “formula” milk he doesn’t like drinking it. I do not have the opportunity to express breast milk because of my job where I do more field work. At times when I express the breast milk, it is not worth it because I could express only 1 ml. Is it normal for children who are breastfeeding don’t want to drink “formula” milk? Answer 3 Firstly I must congratulate you for successful breastfeeding until now. After 6 months, babies need to eat supplementary foods other than breast milk. Since your child is 8 months old, he still can get enough nutrition from other supplementary foods although he drinks less “formula milk”. Since you will be breastfeeding him after work on holidays and weekends, this will ensure that your child gets enough of mother’s milk. Also at the same time, the supply of mother’s milk will not be reduced. You are also advised to weigh your child every 1 or 2 months. If your child’s weight is increasing, this indicates that your child is growing well although your child is drinking less “formula” milk. Question 4 I plan to adopt a baby. How can I breastfeed the baby? Answer 4 Nursing an adopted child requires dedication, patience and time. Several steps should be taken before starting to breastfeed an adopted baby. First and foremost your husband and you should seek counseling from a lactation specialist or a doctor. They will explain the process you have to go through and the level of success you can achieve. You have to contact your doctor or lactation specialist at hospitals such as Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Selayang Hospital or Breastfeeding Support Groups. Secondly you have to learn the correct technique in breastfeeding. To initiate breastfeeding you have to continuously stimulate your breasts . This should be done under the supervision of a lactation specialist or doctor. They will assess the level of milk production and whether the infant will gain weight feeding on breastmilk or need supplementary feeding. Doctors and lactation experts will determine whether it is required to take other medications to stimulate milk production. The use of drugs should be done under the supervision of a doctor and for a short phase only. Bear in mind that it takes more than 2 to 3 weeks after stimulation that you will get some results. Therefore, it is advisable to be prepared to be patient and spend more time to breastfeed your baby. You should go to the extent and be prepared to take leave from work and devote more time and care so that you can breastfeed on a regular basis to achieve success. Question 5 How to overcome the problem of infants losing appetite or drinking less milk? Answer 5 Firstly, it depends on the age of the infant and secondly the frequency of foods intake and drinks or other supplementary,feeds (number of times food or drinks taken in a day). For infants who have less appetite, (not consuming enough food and drinks) mothers should take the following steps to ensure the child stays healthy:
The method of preparing baby’s food is also important. Depending on the age of the infant, food should be mashed, chopped or filtered. It should not be too cold, salty or spicy. Mothers should take extra care by being more creative serving different types of coloured vegetables and cutting in various sizes so as to get the infant attracted to the food. For more information on child nutrition please refer to MyHEALTH Portal. Question 6 How do I ensure enough calcium intake in my diet during pregnancy even though I consume little or less fresh milk? Answer 6 Pregnant mother are advised to take a healthy and balanced diet. During pregnancy, additional nutritious diet is needed due to the demand by the growing foetus and the pregnant mother herself, because they will be experiencing physiological changes such as increased blood volume and placental tissue production where more nutritious food is needed. In comparison with non-pregnant mothers, pregnant mothers require twice the amount of calcium. Since milk is a rich source of calcium, milk intake during pregnancy is recommended by nutritionist. Generally, pregnant mothers should drink 2 to 3 glasses of milk or dairy beverages a day. However, milk consumption is not limited to fresh milk only. Pregnant mothers can also drink flavoured milk beverages like chocolate milk, strawberry milk and many other flavoured milk which we can get in the market today. In addition, using milk for cooking can also be practised. Milk can also be mixed with other drinks such as syrups and chocolate drinks. Other dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and yogurt drink for example “lassi” contain high levels of calcium,. These products either can be taken by itself or mixed with other drinks or can be an ingredient in cooking. In addition, calcium tablets can be taken as supplements with the advice of a doctor. Please refer to MyHEALTH Portal under the heading nutrition for adult during pregnancy. Last Reviewed: 30 January 2012 |
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